The Beach at Summerly: A Novel

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"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." The New York Times Book Review

A ravishing summer read from New York Timesbestseller Beatriz Williams, sweeping readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.

June 1946. As the residents of Winthrop Island prepare for the first summer season after the sacrifice of war, a glamorous new figure moves into the guest cottage at Summerly, the idyllic seaside estate of the wealthy Peabody family. To Emilia Winthrop, daughter of Summerlys year-round caretaker and adescendant of the islands settlers, Olive Rainsford opens a window into a world of shining possibility. While Emilia spent the war years caring for her incapacitated mother, Olive traveled the world, married fascinating men, and involved herself in political causes. Shes also the beloved aunt of the two surviving Peabody sons, Amory and Shep, with whom Emilia has a tangled romantic history.

As the summer wears on, Emilia develops a deep rapport with Olive, who urges her to leave the island for a life of adventure, while romance blossoms with the sturdy and honorable Shep. But the heady promise of Peabody patronage is blown apart by the arrival of Sumner Fox, an FBI agent who demands Emilias help to capture a Soviet agent whos transmitting vital intelligence on the Wests atomic weapon program from somewhere inside the Summerly estate.

April 1954. Eight years later, Summerly is boarded up and Emilia has rebuilt her shattered life as a professor at Wellesley College, when shocking news arrives from Washingtonthe traitor she helped convict is about to be swapped for an American spy imprisoned in the Soviet Union, but with a mysterious condition only Emilia can fulfill. A reluctant Emilia is summoned to CIA headquarters, where shes forced to confront the harrowing consequences of her actions that fateful summer, and a choice that could destroy the Peabody familyand Emilias chance for redemptionall over again.

"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down."--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair

Reviews

"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." New York Times Book Review "Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down." Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair "Readers will be hooked from the first page. Publishers Weekly Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue [T]he authors deft exploration of many thought-provoking issues, from social class to personal responsibility and regret, make this one a winner. A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post-World War II New England. Kirkus Reviews The Summer Wivesis an exquisitely rendered novel that tackles two of my favorite topics: love and money. The glorious setting and drama are enriched by Williamss signature vintage touch. Its at the top of my picks for the beach this summer. Elin Hilderbrand Williams has crafted a kaleidoscope of a novela mystery, a romance, and an utterly beguiling examination of the cost of secrets . . .The Summer Wivesis a startling portrait of the courage it requires to make your own second chances. Entertainment Weekly "Beatriz Williams's vivid historical novel alternates with measured suspense between present and past." Booklist [A] satisfying simmer of a read. USA Today on The Summer Wives Engrossing and gripping, you will finish this book in one sitting. St. Louis Post Dispatch on The Summer Wives Satisfyingly tempestuousand eminently beachworthy. Kirkus(starred review) on The Summer Wives

Author Bio

A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz Williams spent several years in New York and London hiding her early attempts at fiction, first on company laptops as a communications strategy consultant, and then as an at-home producer of small persons, before her career as a writer took off. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore.